Strangers in the Promised Land: <i>Jenízaros</i> , Foreigners, and the Perils of Trade in Colonial Peru, 1750–1764

Abstract This article examines how foreign traders navigated opposition from local elites in mid-eighteenth-century Peru, including repeated decrees prohibiting their presence, to sustain their commercial activities in the colony. By analyzing two sets of documentation, the letters of Juan Cranisbro and the testimony of Pedro Siochan, the study argues that the integration in Cádiz of foreign and Spanish traders amid the expanding registered ship system (navíos de registro) blurred the distinction between foreign interests and the formal Spanish Carrera de Indias. The confiscated letters of Juan Cranisbro reveal the challenges that foreign merchants faced in Peru, including chronic harassment by local authorities and efforts to undermine their trade. Despite facing conspiracies and embargoes, Cranisbro adeptly navigated the law, which highlights the ingenuity of foreign merchants in Peru. The testimony of Pedro Siochan, a French second pilot involved in a legal case related to contraband trade, provides insight into the operations and awareness of foreign merchants. Siochan's experiences underscore the complexities of dealing with Peruvian authorities and the challenges posed by heightened scrutiny from Lima's consulado.